Chuck Schumer says Democrats will not support ‘partisan’ Republican funding bill to avoid shutdown – as it happened

Republicans only have 52 yes votes and senator says Democrats won't help get to the 60 votes needed for the bill to pass. This blog is now closed.

Congressional brinkmanship, including repeated near-misses with shutdowns and over the nation's $36 trillion in debt, has contributed to global ratings agencies' moves to downgrade the US federal government's once-pristine credit rating, reports Reuters.

Democrats have long chided Republicans for threatening or voting for government shutdowns, and Republicans were quick to call them out for considering votes that could risk one.